nfbr - home | national forum for biological recording wavy golden hairs on the thorax. not all...

Newsletter 50 ndash September 2015

NATIONAL FORUM FOR

BIOLOGICAL RECORDING NFBR

Biological recording in action during the 2015 NFBR Conference

Newsletter 50 ndash September 2015 ndash page 2 NFBR

Editorial

This is the 50th NFBR Newsletter As usual we have an excellent selection of articles and

news ndash the world of biological recording is as busy and fast-changing as ever

It was good to see so many NFBR members at our conference back in

April and welcome to the substantial number of new members who

joined us at the conference Feedback indicated that the conference was

a great success thanks to all our excellent speakers and to the many

people who helped organise the conference Paula Lightfoot deserves a

special mention as the driving force behind the conference planning

and NFBR is most grateful to her as well as to the British Ecological

Society for their considerable help and financial support We are

planning to get a conference report circulated before the end of the

year as a record of that event and plans are under way for our 2016

conference

This issue has a focus on the collecting of data on pollinators (pages 8ndash14) which brings

together information on a range of the projects and organisations that are contributing

to the conservation of pollinators and to the governmentrsquos National Pollinator Strategy

Itrsquos not every issue that can announce the birth of a new national recording scheme so

we are pleased to welcome the launch of a scheme devoted to the Calliphoridae a family

of flies that have some intriguing life-histories and are of considerable medical and

forensic importance (page 4) Equally pleasing is an update on progress towards a new

national atlas of mammals the publication of which is keenly awaited (page 15)

NFBR has always worked to represent the interests of recording schemes as an integral

part of biological recording and we are looking at ways of improving our liaison with the

schemes Thanks to members of BSBI we have some good insights into how this might

be done (page 16)

The Tomorrowrsquos Biodiversity project at the Field Studies Centre is running some

workshops to introduce biological recording to new participants and it is good to hear

that the first of these is fully booked already (page 19) ndash this along with news that

records on iRecord and iSpot are into the millions is surely a sign that enthusiasm for

biological recording is at a high And our news pages carry details of new and exciting

projects from NBN and from local environmental records centres so there is no shortage

of activity for people to take part in

Finally we have a report on a successful first year for the Identification Trainers project

at the Natural History Museum with details of how you can apply for the new

traineeships offered for the second year

Thanks to all who have contributed words and images for this issue Our next one is due

in early 2016 so please get in touch if you have news reports articles or photos to

share Contact me or share your views more widely via our email discussion forum our

Twitter feed or on our Facebook page And donrsquot forget to check in to the NFBR website

Martin Harvey July 2014

editornfbrorguk

The deadline for sending in articles for newsletter 51 is

1 December 2015


Contents

Editorial 2

Launch of the Calliphoridae Recording Scheme (Olga Retka) 4

Data sharing from an ecological research perspective (Charlie Outhwaite) 6

Bees and pollination ndash building the evidence base 8

Bees Wasps and Ants Recording Society BWARS (Mike Edwards) 9

The Buzz Club ndash monitoring populations of UK pollinators and engaging

volunteers in fun science projects (Rob Fowler) 11

Great British Bee Count (Sarah Gabriel) 12

PolliNation (Ruth Staples-Rolfe) 13

BeeWalks (Richard Comont) 14

A new national mammal atlas (Derek Crawley) 15

NFBR and recording schemes (Sarah While) 16

Review Pentax Papilio binoculars (Steve Whitbread) 17

News updates

National Biodiversity Network 18

News snippets 18

ldquoIntroduction to biological recordingrdquo courses 19

News from ALERC (Tom Hunt) 20

BRISC 2015 Annual Conference 21

Recording and research 22

Identification Trainers for the Future ndash 6 months on (Steph West) 23

Cover photo NFBR members recording wildlife at Hatfield Moors SSSI as part of the 2015

NFBR Conference (photo by Paula Lightfoot)


Launch of the Calliphoridae Recording Scheme by Olga Retka

The Calliphoridae (blowflies) are

represented in the UK by 38 species

belonging to 7 subfamilies and 14

genera They are highly variable in

appearance and biology

The most familiar blowflies are

bluebottles and greenbottles easily

distinguished by their characteristic

metallic colour Then there are

cluster flies (Polleninae) with their

unusual wavy golden hairs on the

thorax Not all blowflies are so

distinctive however species in the

subfamily Melanomyinae are more

like woodlouse flies

(Rhinophoridae) in appearance

Eurychaeta palpalis can be easily

mistaken for a flesh fly (Sarcophagidae) and Stomorhina lunata even resembles a

hoverfly (Syrphidae) The greenbottles also have some look-alikes among the Tachinidae

and Muscidae Correct identification is not always easy and the keys that are available

are either expensive outdated or difficult to understand The lack of sufficient

identification guides may be one of the reasons why blowflies which on the whole are

widespread and common have been so under-recorded

Although the family as a whole is not well recorded a lot of research has been done on

the species that are forensically or medically important Adult blowflies feed on nectar

and play a role as pollinators but the larval biology is more diverse Larvae from a

number of species feed on carcasses and can be used to establish the post mortem

interval which is the amount of time that has passed

since someonersquos death Other blowfly larvae are

parasites of earthworms grasshoppers slugs snails

etc and in larger animals can cause myiasis This is a

terrifying condition in which eggs are laid and larvae

feed on a live host The most well-known form of it is

sheep strike but they can affect other animals and

humans The more we know about the blowflies the

better we can use their potential and minimise their

negative impact Some larvae are being used in

medicine to clean wounds Others are farmed

commercially for fishing bait or as a source of protein

The scientific importance of blowflies is obvious which

is reason enough to begin a recording scheme One of

the first goals for the scheme is producing a key that

will be accurate and reliable but also easy to use and

affordable It will be a tool for amateur entomologists

as well as professionals with limited knowledge of

Calliphoridae A draft key to subfamilies and species of

forensic importance has already been produced This

key focuses on characters that do not require special

preparation so avoids examination of genitalia

Calliphora vomitoria ndash a common bluebottle the orange haired ldquoginger beardrdquo on the postgena and lower parts of genal dilation (lower part of the head) are characteristic a species of forensic importance

Cynomya mortuorum ndash a species of forensic importance that may also cause myiasis


Characters in the key are well illustrated with

drawings and photographs to minimise identification

errors that could result from the misinterpretation of

written descriptions The key has been based on and

uses features adopted from Rognes (1991)

Erzinccedillioglu (1996) Draber-Mońko (2004) and

Whitworth (2006) The photographs have been

produced using professional equipment kindly

provided by Angela Marmont Centre at the Natural

History Museum The aim for the near future is to add

the remaining (non-forensic) species to complete the

Calliphoridae key

The project has been met with great enthusiasm so

far and has been widely supported by the

entomological community I have received a great

amount of help and advice on collecting preparing

and photographing blowflies and on the

practicalities of running a Recording Scheme for

which I am truly grateful For my part I have been

assisting with specimen identification especially

photographic material published via social media

such as Facebook This is an amazing source of data

happily shared by enthusiasts Once identified the fly records are being sent to iRecord

Sometimes it is impossible to provide an accurate identification based on the

photograph keeping specimens is always advised

The other great source of data are museums and collections So far data have been

collected from the Booth Museum (Brighton) and the Natural History Museum in Oxford

The aim for the coming years is to collect of all of the blowfly data from UK museums In

addition I am hoping to encourage a number of

volunteers to set up blowfly sampling stations

across UK The estimated time span for this

survey project is one year (potentially 2017) with

traps being used for few days each month The

traps will be simple self-assembled and cheap

devices using chicken liver as a bait The

samples will be stored in alcohol (to preserve

DNA for future research) identified and records

used to model the spatial and temporal

distribution of blowflies of forensic importance

As some species are only found in specific

geographical locations and environments they

can be used in forensic cases where body

movement is being suspected

In the near future I am planning to set up a

website where various information on blowflies

could be found including tips on identification

keys recording collecting biology and other

related topics In the meantime I am happy to

receive records via iRecord or email

(arumawppl) If you have any questions do

not hesitate to contact me I am looking forward

to hundreds of new records

Lucilia sericata ndash a common greenbottle a species of forensic importance that also causes sheep strike

Pollenia rudis ndash a cluster fly with characteristic wavy golden hairs


Data sharing from an ecological research perspective

by Charlie Outhwaite

The field of ecology is a vast and varied one As a result the types and quantities of data

produced differ hugely Whether a study is small in scale such as a field or lab based

project or a large country or global scale big data study the amount of data that could

be made available is enormous Yet the field of ecology has been considered as behind

in terms of its openness when compared to other areas of biology such as genomics

With such vast amounts and types of data available sharing that data openly has the

potential to boost research opportunities and open up collaboration within and between

fields

As is the case within many scientific disciplines a major barrier for data sharing in

ecology is the fear of being scooped For this reason many researchers would be

unlikely to release their data until they have been able to complete their intended work

first This problem is exacerbated in ecology where data are often collected

independently by one or a few people who gain a sense of ownership over that data

Although permissions of use and attributions can be set up this sense of ownership can

act as a barrier to data sharing If an ecologist has spent months in the field collecting

and then collating that data they are not going to want to share it until they have had

the chance to carry out all their planned analyses and will probably then hold onto it for

a bit longer just in case

Additional problems that are shared with other areas of research include getting credit

for sharing data and actually knowing how to share data The credit issue is starting to

This article first appeared as a blog post on the DNAdigest website dnadigestorgecological-perspective-on-data-sharing

DNAdigest is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to educate facilitate and engage on issues regarding access to genomic data

ldquoFigsharerdquo one of several options now available for sharing research data online


be addressed by data journals where

citations can be gained as a result of

publishing data With citations often

referred to as the ldquocurrencyrdquo of science

bringing data sharing into this

fundamental aspect of academia is key

Although many options are now

available for easy and hassle free data

sharing this knowledge is not

widespread within the ecological

community It is also considered to be

too time consuming to learn these new

techniques Options available to

ecologists include (among others)

figshare (figsharecom) which can be

used to make data publicly available

and citable and GitHub (githubcom)

which allows the sharing of code as well as the more familiar NBN and GBIF routes for

biological records The tools are available now we need to increase the knowledge on

how to use them and encourage their use in day-to-day research life I personally think

these tools should be introduced during undergraduate courses This would ensure that

future generations of researchers have the basic skills they need to share data

effectively

So far these issues are applicable to most areas of science and it is clear that efforts are

being made to overcome them However ecological data also have unique issues My

work in particular can highlight one such problem I use species presence data collected

by volunteers to investigate changes in the status of biodiversity over time As these

data come from various organisations and groups the views on who owns the data and

whether or not it should be shared can vary Of more importance is the fact that these

data consist of precise localities indicating exactly where species have been recorded

For a common species this shouldnrsquot be a problem but what about threatened or

endangered species Should their locations be openly available Some species are

protected by law and the data relating to these species cannot be used in a study which

could result in the data being accessed by others So what would the protocol be in this

case should the dataset be openly shared which could lead to people tracking down

endangered species and potentially putting these populations at risk What other

options are available Until specific protocols are put in place which aims to understand

and mitigate the potential problems with specific kinds of data many data holders are

likely to simply keep it to themselves

The potential for data sharing within the field of ecology is great The scale and scope of

work that could be achieved would be vastly increased if a more open and sharing

community was possible However as well as the issues that are more widely shared

within science there are a number of issues specific to ecology that need to be

addressed in order for the open data movement to pick up momentum Once these

problems are understood and ways to deal with them are established standardised ways

of sharing should be more accessible and accepted within the community Currently

however I think this lack of data sharing is preventing the generation of new and

exciting research and potentially limiting what we are able to offer from within this field

Charlie Outhwaite is a PhD student based at the Centre for Ecology amp Hydrology Her

work looks into producing biodiversity indicators from biological records exploring

drivers behind the trends and the way species traits affect susceptibility to change

Are there risks from sharing data relating to protected species (Hen Harrier photo by Ingrid Taylar via Flickr Creative Commons)

Bees pollination and evidence


Bees and pollination - building the evidence base

Pollinators and especially bees have really caught the imagination of the public in

recent years with regular articles in the press on the potential decline of both wild bees

and honeybees and what effects this could have on our crops and wild flowers But do

we actually have good evidence to assess how populations are faring for the 270 or so

wild bee species in the UK

Last year the government published its National Pollinator Strategy (Defra 2014) One of

the five priority areas that were identified in the Strategy was developing actions for

ldquoimproving evidence on the status of pollinators and the service they providerdquo This was

broken down further into a series of proposals for investigating the economic value of

pollination the effects of crop protection (eg pesticide use) on pollinators and the

options for improving evidence on the populations of the pollinators themselves

As part of the Strategy Defra awarded a research contract for designing and testing

approaches to monitoring changes in the abundance diversity and distribution of British

pollinators (particularly bees and hoverflies) and pollination services to crops This work

is currently being undertaken by a team that includes scientists from the Centre for

Ecology amp Hydrology Leeds University Reading University and the Open University

expert entomologists (representing BWARS and the Hoverfly Recording Scheme through

the Hymettus consultancy) the Bumblebee Conservation Trust Butterfly Conservation

and British Trust for Ornithology

A key element of the project involves looking at how best to build on existing survey

activities to provide robust and reliable data on pollinator population change in addition

to the longer-established recording of species distributions The final output of the

project (ending December 2015) will be to set out a costed framework for monitoring

changes in pollinators and pollination services across Britain into the future with both

professionally-led and volunteer-led components

Many people and organisations have an interest in bees and other pollinators and below

we have compiled information from a range of current activities involving the recording

of bees in one form or another Some of the projects are well-established others are

new but all are gathering information that may help us to understand what is happening

to bees in particular and the broader ecosystem service of pollination

The summaries below demonstrate the breadth of different approaches being taken to

involve wildlife recorders and citizen scientists with work on bees and pollinators The

identification of bees is not straightforward and verifying records can be a time-

consuming task that often places demands on scarce volunteer expertise Alternative

approaches may allow data to be analysed at an lsquoaggregatersquo level looking for overall

trends without having to go to full identification of each species

No doubt each approach will have its own strengths challenges and biases but if good

communications and data-sharing are maintained we should soon have a stronger

framework for generating more and better data on bees which will help identify the best

approaches to conserving pollinators both for their own sake and for the important

services they provide

Bees are not the only insects that pollinate Many other species groups have a role to

play and a number of other recording schemes are involved in work on pollinators

especially the Hoverfly Recording Scheme For reasons of space our feature for NFBR

focuses largely on bees this time round but thatrsquos not to downplay the importance of

other species Read on for some of the recording projects currently in progress



Bees Wasps and Ants Recording Society BWARS

by Mike Edwards BWARS

The Bees Wasps and Ants Recording Society (BWARS) exists to

do just that - record the occurrence of bees wasps and ants

(the aculeate Hymenoptera in scientific parlance) It developed

from the old Bees Wasps and Ants Recording Scheme in the early 1990s when it became

apparent that a degree of self-funding would enable a greater development of the group

which up to that point had been entirely reliant on support (very gratefully received)

from the Biological Records Centre

The Society is open to anybody who would like to become involved in the recording of

the aculeate Hymenoptera at whatever level of expertise they have Training to improve

expertise may be obtained both formally through organised workshops and also by

direct contact with individuals within the Society many of whom are only too pleased to

help a newcomer in their area either by taking them on field trips or by supporting

their first identifications

Beginners need to be aware that this is not an lsquoeasyrsquo group to name although there are

a limited number of species which may confidently be named in the field Hence most

recording especially in the early stages needs to be backed up by voucher material

often in the form of a dead specimen For some species a photo is perfectly adequate

provided it shows the necessary features - which takes a level of knowledge or good

luck It takes 2 to 3 years before the tangle of names takes good shape but the feeling

of success when you put a name to an insect whose often complex behaviour has

engrossed your time is massive

Although a good binocular microscope is invaluable it is rather a large outlay for a lsquofirst

interestrsquo A lot can be achieved by careful use of a hand lens Dead specimens are best

mounted on an entomological pin as handling is then so very much easier Members

receive a lsquohandbookrsquo on joining which details much more about progressing further

with the group - although not everyone goes to the lengths described within it

The data collected is

collated and maintained on

the Societyrsquos own server

using its own software

Once received by the

processing team data is

run through a set of

checking routines to pick

up errors in the format and

is lsquoeyed overrsquo to check for

records which require

further verification

Obviously the level at

which this is applied

depends upon the known

proficiency of the person

submitting the data

Records which are

lsquooutliersrsquo from the known

distribution either in

terms of geography or

Bumblebee Bombus hortorum on Woolly Thistle (photo by Martin Harvey)



timing are especially significant and need to be checked Many of these will often

have been noted in the Societyrsquos Newsletter before formal submission of the data

so things are straightforward With others however the recorder has not recognised

the significance of their submission few things spur you on more than achieving

a lsquofirstrsquo

Improving the level of lsquoautomaticrsquo verificationvalidation so as to identify data which

is in need of manual checking is a high priority for the development of the Societyrsquos

database Inevitably a lot of data which falls well inside known parameters will be

passed with little inspection a voluntary Society has not got the man-power to carry

out full checks on every record This is becoming a matter of ever-greater urgency

with the large amount of data being generated through sites such as iRecord and iSpot

Data which is subsequently

(perhaps many years later)

shown to be erroneous is

flagged as such on the main

database and a correction

lsquochildrsquo record created (if

possible) or the record is left

as lsquosuspendedrsquo The old

lsquoparentrsquo data is also kept but

flagged as not-exportable All

new data coming into the

system is checked against the

total data for duplicates

which are removed at that

point This is done for

suspended non-exportable

and corrected records as well

as for accepted ones Record

checking once data is within

the database is carried out by

a small team who have direct

access to the server for this

purpose A full trail of any

changes is kept

In the first instance data is passed to the NBN Gateway once or twice in a year

depending on the volunteer time available This dataset is displayed as a series of 10km

resolution maps on the NBN which are echoed on the BWARS website If anyone wishes

to query a displayed record they should contact the data team at BWARS who will

investigate further Such lsquopost displayrsquo queries are a very useful form of validation and

are encouraged Clearly a lsquocorrected recordrsquo will not be updated displayed on the NBN

BWARS maps until the next data update but it will have a full audit-trail on the master

BWARS database

As might be expected with the current interest in bees there have been many occasions

where researchers have asked for and been granted access to the data and quite a few

well recognised papers have been generated on the basis of it Local and national

government bodies also have asked for access especially Local Record Centres these

being the route through which any developer - or people contesting development - need

to go for access if the data displayed on the NBN is not adequate for their purposes

BWARS does not have any salaried staff and cannot nor does it wish to undertake the

compilation of specific area lists or any interpretation of such lists

Lasioglossum cupromicans one of the smaller solitary bees for which identification may not be straightforward (photo by Martin Harvey)



The Buzz Club ndash monitoring populations of UK pollinators and engaging volunteers in fun science projects

by Dr Rob Fowler Buzz Club coordinator

The Buzz Club ndash in association with the University of Sussex ndash is an exciting new

initiative using the collective power of citizen-science Through volunteer participation

we undertake fun nationwide surveys and experiments designed to help us learn more

about why some pollinator species are disappearing and what we can do best to help

them Anyone is welcome to take part whether at home or at school we want people to

get to know the wildlife right on their doorstep by becoming citizen-scientists No

expertise is required but it helps if yoursquore keen and willing to spend a small amount of

time undertaking our project(s) We already have several projects up and running

The ldquoPollinator Abundance Networkrdquo (PAN)

uses pan traps to measure the presence and

abundance of different groups of pollinators

Coloured water-filled traps provide a

standardised catch of the smaller pollinators

particularly flies beetles wasps and some

solitary bees which are overlooked by most

surveys Volunteers are encouraged to try and

identify what insects they catch then samples

are sent back to the University of Sussex for

expert identification allowing us to measure

how abundant the different groups and

species are across the country

Our ldquoBees lsquon Beansrdquo project tests whether we have sufficient pollinators in urban areas

to adequately pollinate garden plants While insect contribution to crop pollination is

being investigated in farmland the role these same creatures play in our urban

environments shouldnrsquot be overlooked Peas beans courgettes tomatoes apples

strawberries and many other garden favourites rely on insect pollination to some

extent so declines in pollinators could threaten the viability of home-grown food

Volunteers measure whether sufficient pollinators visit broad beans and rat-tailed

radishes comparing yield with plants that are pollinated by hand The number and

weight of the pods and beans radish seeds are collected by our volunteers enabling

us to compare how yields vary across the country and in different landscapes

For our newest project ldquoHoverfly Lagoonsrdquo volunteers

are helping us to discover whether we can effectively

create breeding habitat for certain types of hoverfly in

gardens We are setting up small aquatic ecosystems

filled with organic matter of different types Early results

suggest that these are quickly colonised by hoverflies

Once collected data are verified and analysed by

researchers at the University of Sussex who aim to

publish these findings in scientific journals We intend to

make the verified distribution data available via NBN

For most projects we provide all the equipment required but we ask those who take part

to join as members of the Buzz Club to help fund our work at pound2 per month (all of which

goes towards the cost of the equipment) Members can choose which experiments to

take part in We send everything needed to participate and will keep members updated

on our findings and other research at the University of Sussex For more information

please visit wwwthebuzzclubuk or follow us on Twitter The_Buzz_Club



Great British Bee Count by Sarah Gabriel Friends of the Earth

The Great British Bee Count is an annual nationwide survey that helps to monitor the UK

bee population Its main aim is to use fun tools to get as many people as possible

learning about bees This way we can start building a nationwide network of people

looking out for our under-threat pollinators and monitoring how they are doing

Next year participants will again have the opportunity to participate in the survey and

record their results either via our smart phone app or website There are two main

activities that participants will be asked to do One is to record which types of bees they

see The other is to do a basic two minute timed count to checked abundance levels in

different areas All this data is collected and results are published a few months later

outlining what participants have recorded ndash things from the most frequently seen bees

to which habitats are performing the best for bees (and which could do better)

In 2015 participants were also encouraged to take a photo of the bees they recorded

This was so that records could be verified It is hoped that in 2016 the Great British Bee

Count can partner with the Open Universityrsquos iSpot project so that its rich community

can assist with the verification of records Friends of the Earth is also in talks with the

NBN to make the data available through its Gateway service

Citizen-science has the potential to teach many people about our natural world in a fun

and accessible way We hope that the Great British Bee Count brings this to life and

encourages people to take a stand for our precious garden friends To see the results

from 2015 go to wwwfoecoukpagegreat-british-bee-count-2015-results



PolliNation

by Ruth Staples-Rolfe PolliNation Project Officer

PolliNation is a programme which supports schools in helping to protect the future of

our seriously dwindling bee population The PolliNation project developed by the

school grounds charity Learning through Landscapes is supported by the Heritage

Lottery Fund and will engage 260 schools to help transform their grounds into

pollinator-friendly habitats The initial deadline for schools to apply is 21 September

2015

Data recording will monitor any changes in species diversity and numbers A key driver

is to increase awareness of nature and

particularly insects A network of

young enthusiasts in the 260 schools

will help by spreading knowledge and

creating green stepping stones such

as bug hotels and bee houses to

enable insects to move with ease

between different areas

All schools in the UK will be able to

apply to participate in the programme

which will be delivered by Learning

through Landscapes and will enable

teachers children and volunteers to be

trained to make the necessary changes

to their school grounds to create

habitats They will be supported by

biodiversity and landscape experts

from the charity to develop their

environments by planting insect

pollinator friendly areas using

pollinator friendly plants building bug

hotels and bee houses planting night-blooming flowers to draw in moths constructing

bee-hives as well as promoting changes to maintenance schedules reducing pesticides

and letting areas of the school grounds become wild

The programme will also promote and encourage the development of existing provisions

in schools such as orchards and wild meadow areas green walls and ivy growth to

attract the bees and other insects

Learning through Landscapes will be delivering the PolliNation project along with other

sector partners including The Field Studies Council Buglife Butterfly Conservation and

the OPAL Network For more information see httpwwwltlorgukpollination

indexphp



BeeWalks by Richard Comont Data Monitoring Officer

Bumblebee Conservation Trust

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust was established in 2006 to help save Britainrsquos

bumblebees A first step to conserving is to know which species are where and how

populations are doing which is why the BeeWalk project was born Based largely on the

Pollard walks methodology of the Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (BMS) BeeWalk involves

volunteers walking monthly transects to identify and count the bumblebees that they see

and record the flowers being visited with the ultimate aim of being able to establish

bumblebee species population trends across Britain

Time-wise taking part in the survey generally works out at a couple of hours a month

(travel surveying and data input at wwwbeewalkorguk) and covers eight months of

the year (March-October the bumblebee flight period) We usually suggest a route of

about a mile (it can take

a long while to walk a

mile when therersquos good

numbers of bumblebees

about) and itrsquos always

best to take a net and

pot with you to check

any trickier individuals

Of course not all can

be easily identified in

the field and any yoursquore

not sure of should be

recorded as

lsquoindeterminate beersquo ndash

that way we get an idea

of the total number of

Bombus on the transect

without being

spuriously lsquoaccuratersquo

where the true species

isnrsquot clear Anyone can

take part - wersquore

particularly keen that

experienced bumblebee-identifiers become BeeWalkers but wersquore working to provide

training where itrsquos requested

Data collected are verified by checking against range boundaries habitat phenology

recorder ability etc and are shared annually with the national recording body BWARS

(the Bees Wasps amp Ants Recording Society) and will be included in their uploads to the

NBN We also have data-sharing agreements with several LRCs and county Hymenoptera

recorders and are happy to set up more on request (to

beewalkbumblebeeconservationorg)

Because of the particular way bumblebees forage site-specific indices of abundance (as

are produced for the BMS) are unreliable consequently trends will be analysed across

regions and nationally though we still need a couple of yearsrsquo extra data to be able to

distinguish signals from the noise In the meantime wersquore using the data to help BWARS

map the northwards spread of the Tree bumblebee Bombus hypnorum and using

occurrence and flower visitation data to guide our conservation work Wersquore also always

open to research collaborations

Richard Comont demonstrating bee identification during a training day for the BeeWalks project (photo by Martin Harvey)


A new national mammal atlas by Derek Crawley The Mammal Society

In order for conservation agencies to make informed decisions it is

important that they have up-to-date information on species

distributions population size and trends It is becoming more

important to not only record species information but have the ability to

share it It is the latter that can cause the biggest problem to any

involved in national recording schemes

The Mammal Society mission statement ldquoMore for Mammalsrdquo included

an aim to update the national atlas last published in 1979 to ensure that red list

assessments and the common cause for nature strategies are based on current known

distribution

For the last five years we having been working with

record holders to share data and get our members and

the public to send in records of mammals from across

the UK We intend to publish the atlas in the autumn of

2016 with the last records being accepted on the 31

December 2015 So if you have any records you would

like us to use and you have not been contacted by us

please get in touch Atlasthemammalsocietyorg

We have been working closely with the Biological

Records Centre in collating the records so they can

produce the distribution maps and analyse the data

They have been excellent in advising us in the process

and how to gain data agreements and in setting up

verification for IRecord where all our records are being

stored

Most of the work is being done by volunteer effort

although we did have a Lottery grant for a south-east

England project where we produced the SE Atlas (see

httpwwwmammalorgukmawse) and developed the

ldquomammal trackerrdquo app which made recording species

much easier for the public and existing mammal

recorders These records along with those added via

the Mammal Society Recording web page all get

submitted to IRecord We have established a set of

mammal recorders to verify each countyrsquos records

allowing them access to their own county records

Other people can see the records via the NBN data

sharing agreements

We now have provisional maps to allow our expert

authors to write about each species One interesting

aspect has been that the new maps are not showing the

same distribution as the previous atlas for what we

considered the more common species The question is

whether this is a true reflection of change or is more to

do with differences in recording coverage and this is

one of the questions our analysis will try to answer


NFBR and recording schemes

by Sarah Whild with input from Paula Lightfoot and Martin Harvey

NFBR aims to represent the full range of biological recording activity as far as it can

This of course includes among many others the national recording schemes that do so

much to document species in many different groups across the country We would like

to ensure that NFBR is playing a useful role in representing the views of recording

schemes but in order to do this we need to develop the most appropriate ways of

communicating with the schemes and the people who run them

To this end last April we asked attendees at the

Recordersrsquo Meeting of the Botanical Society of

Britain and Ireland to complete a questionnaire

about how they saw NFBR in relation to their

recording activity Thanks to responses from 53

people we have some interesting results

Just over half had heard of NFBR before they received the questionnaire but only a

very small proportion were currently members

Over two-thirds sent their records to a local environmental records centre as well as

to their recording scheme

About half knew that their records were available on the NBN Gateway just under half

were unaware of whether their records were on the Gateway or not

We asked people to say how keen they were for their records to be used for

conservation research planning and informinginspiring others Most people

responded that they were ldquovery keenrdquo that their records should be used for all four

categories conservation and research scored highest but only by a small margin No-

one responded that they didnrsquot want their data used for any of these four purposes

When asked ldquoDo you think that it would be good for recording schemes and societies

to have a way of feeding in a collective response to government consultations and

other major projectsrdquo a large majority responded ldquoyesrdquo

When asked ldquoDo you think that NFBR could represent the collective views of recording

schemes and societiesrdquo only two-thirds of the group responded but the great

majority of those who did respond thought that NFBR could act in such a

representative way Other views were that recording schemes could be better

represented by other organisations (suggestions were RSPB Wildlife Trusts BRC BSBI

Local natural history societies) or that recording schemes could organise a collective

response among themselves

A range of suggestions were put forward as to how NFBR could communicate better

with recording schemes all of which received large majorities in favour enthuse more

schemes and society members to join NFBR ensure that schemes are represented on

NFBR council set up email groupsmailing lists to consult schemes send out

questionnaires on particular topics

A note of caution when asked if it was realistic to seek consensus from the variety of

different recording schemes 15 answered yes and 13 said no

Finally we asked people to highlight what they saw as the top issues or concerns

relating to biological recording that NFBR ought to address In no particular order the

issues raised included

Ensuring records are valued and validatedverified

Funding for schemes and societies with funding getting to grass-roots recorders

Over-interpretation of data collected


Uneven playing field for funding

More consensus on what to record

Should full datasets be made available to everyone free of charge

Sidelining of proper biological records from decision making

Data flow and integration of records

Consistency of data on NBN

Reduction in funding to LRCs

Less than desirable joined-up thinking between recording schemes results in

fragmentation and less representation particularly at government level

NFBR is grateful to the BSBI members who took the time to respond and we will be

reviewing the results to help develop our liaison with other recording schemes Wersquod be

delighted to hear from anyone involved in running a recording scheme who would like to

help NFBR take this approach forward

Review Pentax Papilio binoculars bu Steve Whitbread

Smartphones ever more capable cameras

GPS and all that Internet interconnectedness

have all done wonders for biological

recording even for the less gadget prone

However I thought Irsquod share some entirely

non-technical views on a piece of kit that

really ought to be high on the Christmas list

of any naturalist (blame the Editor who was

sporting his during the conference field trip)

and for which no batteries need be included

The Papilio II binoculars from Pentax (in 85x

and 65x magnification options) focus to

50cm (to the wrist of my outstretched arm

They are small light fit comfortably even into small hands (and larger pockets) and also

have a tripod mount In the months Irsquove owned mine theyrsquove given me more instant

pleasure from casual natural history wanders than anything else

If you actually want to see small wild things well enough to identify them and better yet

watch their behaviour without disturbance ndash a caterpillar munching a leaf ladybirds

causing consternation amongst ant aphid farmers the joy of spider sex etc ndash and to see

things yoursquove never seen before these are the beersquos knees (yes theyrsquore good for that

too) And theyrsquore great for getting up close and personal with plant structures or (at

least with the 65s) peering at bullfinches in bushes from rather further away too

There are links to a couple of proper reviews below (though neither refrain from use of

lsquoWowrsquo) but these are absolutely my Desert Island Disc luxury item It would be even

better if they were waterproof (for when I eventually drop them in a tropical rock pool)

but otherwise they are absolutely great Theyrsquoll cost rather more than a decent hand lens

but can be found for much less than their pound150pound200 list prices If you want to give a

gift that keeps on giving (to you) then these are highly recommended But donrsquot take my

word for it see the additional reviews here

httpwwwbestbinocularsreviewscomPentax-Papilio-85x21-Binoculars-118htm

httpwwwbirdwatchingcomopticspentax_papiliohtml


News updates

National Biodiversity Network

Following the publication of the NBN strategy earlier this year a

number of new developments are moving ahead - these are

exciting times for the NBN Trust and the wider partnership

Crowdsourcing Data Capture Summit this meeting will be held in Manchester on

25 September aimed at kick-starting collaborations to mobilise undigitised data

holdings using crowdsourcing platforms Details and booking at wwwnbnorguk

NewsLatest-newsThe-NBN-Crowdsourcing-Data-Capture-Summit

The annual NBN Conference is on 19ndash20 November over two days and in York rather

than London As usual there is an excellent range of speakers lined up Early-bird

booking is available until 9 October go to wwwnbnorgukNewsLatest-news2015-

NBN-Conference-bookings-are-open

The new Atlas of Living Scotland is now live at wwwalsscot This is not only a major

project for biological data-sharing in Scotland it is also being used to test ideas for

the development of a wider atlas-type web portal for the NBN as a whole There are a

number of ways in which you can take part in testing and commenting on the new

site wwwnbnorgukNewsLatest-newsAtlas-of-Living-Scotland-Update-(1)

Awards for biological recording the NBN Secretariat has established a new national

award scheme in partnership with the Biological Records Centre and NFBR These

awards will be made annually to individuals groups of people or organisations that

are making outstanding contributions to biological recording and improving our

understanding of the natural world Nominations for the four categories can be sent

in until 30 September and the awards will be presented at the NBN Conference

wwwnbnorgukNewsLatest-newsUK-Awards-to-celebrate-biological-recording-and-

in

NBN is establishing a UK biological recording scheme database to make it easy to

find out about and contact recording schemes and survey projects throughout the UK

To make sure your project is on the list go to wwwnbnorgukNewsLatest-newsUK-

biological-recording-scheme-database-establishe

PhD student Ben Brown is working with NBN to research the motivations of biological

recorders To find out more and take part see wwwnbnorgukNewsLatest-news

NBN-recorder-motivation-internship

And in case you missed it last May there is a splendid article by Teresa Frost of

Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre on the value of local environmental records centres

sharing data with wildlife recorders via NBN at wwwnbnorgukNewsLatest-news

The-Value-of-Local-Environmental-Records-Centre-da

News snippets

LiDAR data collected by the EA is now freely available under the Open Government

License at 05m 1m and 2m resolution and can be downloaded from

environmentdatagovukdssurvey Very useful for habitat mapping species

distribution modelling and all kinds of spatial ecology fun

Roger Morris eminent entomologist and ecologist and one of the organisers for the

Hoverfly Recording Scheme has produced a number of thought-provoking posts on

his blog recently including ldquoIs biological recording a modern phenomenonrdquo ldquoA

rationale for caution in photographic identificationrdquo and ldquoIs the biological recording

community ageingrdquo These can be seen at stamfordsyrpherblogspotcouk


Over a million photos of wildlife have been added to

the iSpot website since its launch in 2009 And iRecord

is now displaying over a million wildlife records (with

another million being managed via the data warehouse

that sits behind the iRecord website) Thatrsquos a lot of

enthusiasm for biological recording

Species identification day courses via Manchester

Metropolitan University held at The Gateway centre in

Shrewsbury ndash several still to come this year

wwwsstemmuacukrecording

Know your plants BSBIrsquos Training and Education

Committee have produced a simple booklet with

details of how to start learning plant identification

The PDF is available to download from

wwwbsbiorguktraininghtml or if you would like

hard copies to hand out to studentslearners email

Sarah Whild SWhildmmuacuk

ldquoIntroduction to biological recordingrdquo courses

Interested in becoming more involved in biological recording

but not sure where to start The FSCrsquos Tomorrowrsquos Biodiversity

Project is running several new lsquoIntroduction to Biological

Recordingrsquo courses at FSC Preston Montford in Shropshire over

the next year The first to be held over the weekend of 5th and

6th December 2015 is already fully booked but another will

run early in 2016 ndash dates will be announced The aim is to help attendees navigate the

sometimes confusing world of UK biological recording and emerge ready to start

contributing valuable biological records

Topics include

Making biological records

Understanding recording organisations and the recording community

Choosing and using identification resources

Submitting biological records

Options for accredited training in biological recording

The second day features a mini Bioblitz taking attendees through the entire process of

making biological records from sampling and identifying specimens to submitting

records The weekend also includes an introduction to the accredited training

programmes on biological recording run by Manchester Metropolitan University in

conjunction with the FSC and a QampA session with those actively involved in biological

recording

The course is excellent value for money and is subsidised by the FSC Tomorrowrsquos

Biodiversity Project Students may also be eligible for a separate travel bursary of up to

pound40

The course will be lead by the Tomorrowrsquos Biodiversity team Charlie Bell and Rich

Burkmar For information on upcoming Biological recording course dates and the full

range of other Tomorrowrsquos Biodiversity training courses please see

wwwtombioukcourses


News from ALERC compiled by Tom Hunt

ALERC has been busy since its last

conference consolidating the

organisationrsquos fundamentals and

looking to secure its future

Through consultation with its

members ALERC has decided to

formally refer to records centres

as Local Environmental Records

Centres (LERCs) rather than just

Local Records Centres (LRCs)

Although this appears a minor

change it is more descriptive

which is especially important for

people new to LERCs It also

makes the association consistent

with its members ie ALERC and

LERCs

As part of this defining process members were also consulted on a new official

definition for LERCs This was agreed as ldquoLocal Environmental Records Centres (LERCs)

are not-for-profit organisations that collect collate and manage information on the

natural environment for a defined geographic area LERCs support and collaborate with a

network of experts to ensure information is robust and make information products and

services accessible to a range of audiences including decision-makers the public and

researchersrdquo

Further to defining LERCs themselves ALERC has been documenting plans for its future

direction in a new five year strategic plan This document will not be published later in

the year but aims address the four key areas of resources members audience and

development A key element will be continued support for the National Coordinator by

raising a greater amount of money from the membership It is hoped that showing a

greater level of commitment to the post by the members will make investment in the

post by funding bodies and partners more attractive One thing that has come in for this

year is the requirement for all ALERC member LERCs to set some kind of time scale for

their accreditation Different LERCs are at different stages regarding their progress

towards accreditation but it is felt that all of them should be able to accredit within five

years The overall effect of this will be to raise confidence in the LERC movement as a

whole More information on ALERC accreditation can be found at http

wwwalercorgukaccreditationhtml

Finally if you havenrsquot already checkout the (relatively) new map on the ALERC website

Here you can now search for a relevant LERC using a post code grid reference or other

location name The map can be found at httpwwwalercorgukfind-an-lerc-maphtml

News from LERCs

Bristol Region ndash BRERC As many of you will know Bristol is European Green Capital for 2015 As part of this

initiative Bristol Regional Environmental Records Centre is organising one of the more

unusual wildlife surveys How Green is My Alley invites people to survey local alleys

According to BRERC ldquoalleys provide a habitat for a surprising variety of wildlife often in


areas where wildlife habitats are rare Interesting plants can be

found including species from southern Europe which flourish

in the warm sheltered environments which many alleys

provide The plants in turn provide food and shelter for birds

and insects Their flowers provide pollen and nectar for

butterflies bees and hoverflies Ferns mosses lichens snails

and spiders can also be found on the walls of a typical alleyrdquo

An information pack together with various recording forms can

be downloaded from the BRERC website wwwbrercorguk

Alternatively contact BRERC and they will send you a survey

pack All the data gathered will then be incorporated into

BRERC databases

Thames Valley ndash TVERC People in the Thames Valley region

will be interested to learn that Thames Valley Environmental

Records Centre have successfully completed several Natural

England supported training courses this summer that have

provided attendees with an introduction to ecology and

survey techniques There will be more courses next year

although if this year is anything to go by they will be

booked up very quickly Look out for more information on

wwwtvercorguk or follow them on Twitter TVERC1

There is more information on this story and many more in

the latest edition of the TVERC newsletter which can be

found here httpwwwtvercorgcmssitestvercfiles

Newsletter20Summer20201520Final20High

20Resolution_0pdf

BRISC 2015 ANNUAL CONFERENCE - CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK

Saturday 31 October ndash Sunday 1 November

Mind the Data Gaps - Are Regional Data Hubs the Way Forward

Taking place at The Grant Arms Hotel Grantown on Spey

Provisional programme Saturday

Out in the field in the morning for those who arrive earlier

1200 hrs Soup and Sandwich lunch

1300 hrs AGM

1330 hrs Conference

Dinner

Sunday

Breakfast for those who stayed overnight

Day out in the field (packed lunch or local eatery before leaving without

return to the hotel)

Costs

Residential Conference Delegates pound8050 pp Includes all meals refreshments and

accommodation for Sat amp Sunday (packed lunch extra) No single supplement

Day Delegate pound1500 pp Includes Soup amp Sandwich Lunch refreshments and

Conference Three course evening dinner is an extra pound25


Recording and research

Biological recording contributes to wider research outcomes and ultimately to better

understanding of ecology and conservation Here are some recent research papers that draw on

data from recording schemes or are relevant to biological recording in general

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society ndash Special Issue Fifty years

of the Biological Records Centre Volume 115 Issue 3 Pages 469ndash

784 onlinelibrarywileycomdoi101111bij2015115issue-3

issuetoc

This anniversary celebration issue includes a wide range of papers that

will be of interest to anyone involved in biological recording There

isnrsquot space to list all the contents but herersquos a flavour of what is

covered

Taking the oldest insect recording scheme into the 21st Century (by Garth Foster)

Ecological monitoring with citizen science the design and implementation of schemes

for recording plants in Britain and Ireland (Oli Pescott et al)

Bias and information in biological records (Nick Isaac and Michael Pocock)

Beyond maps a review of the applications of biological records (Gary Powney and

Nick Isaac)

Gains and losses extinctions and colonisations in Britain since 1900 (Mark Gurney)

Recent trends in UK insects that inhabit early successional stages of ecosystems

(Jeremy Thomas et al)

An agenda for the future of biological recording for ecological monitoring and citizen

science (Bill Sutherland et al)

Plus new technologies environmental DNA monitoring and much more besides All the

papers are currently available as open-access downloads via the above weblink although

I believe that the open-access option is time-limited so get your copies now

Big science from small insects

mediumcomBBSRCbig-science-from-

small-insects-d3d05a69c94c

Not a research paper but a good summary of

some of the many research areas that have

benefited from the long-term monitoring of

insects over 50 years via the Rothamsted

Insect Survey This has produced huge

advances in knowledge for agriculture

conservation and ecological research in

general ldquoThe Rothamsted Insect Survey has

amassed an incredible wealth of data and is

now widely regarded as the most

comprehensive and continual database in the world on terrestrial invertebratesrdquo (Dr

Richard Harrington former RIS Project Leader)

Bellamy C and Altringham J 2015 Predicting Species Distributions Using Record

Centre Data Multi-Scale Modelling of Habitat Suitability for Bat Roosts PLoS ONE

10(6) e0128440 doi101371journalpone0128440

Conservation increasingly operates at the landscape scale For this to be effective we

need landscape scale information on species distributions and the environmental factors

A Rothamsted moth trap in action (Martin Harvey)


that underpin them Species records are becoming

increasingly available via data centres and online portals

but they are often patchy and biased We demonstrate

how such data can yield useful habitat suitability models

using bat roost records as an example

Georeferenced bat roost records from across Cumbria

were supplied by the Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre

3891 records made between 1980 and 2009 were

provided including roost observations of eight species

The records were provided by naturalists local bat groups

and other organisations and a small number of records

were added from incidental fieldwork by the authors

Multi-scale models combining variables measured at their

best performing spatial scales were used to predict

roosting habitat suitability yielding models with useful

predictive abilities Small areas of deciduous woodland

consistently increased roosting habitat suitability but

other habitat associations varied between species and

scales Pipistrellus were positively related to built

environments at small scales and depended on large-scale woodland availability The

other more specialist species were highly sensitive to human-altered landscapes

avoiding even small rural towns The strength of many relationships at large scales

suggests that bats are sensitive to habitat modifications far from the roost itself

Identification Trainers for the Future ndash 6 months on

by Steph West Project Manager Identification Trainers for the Future

You might remember a few months ago we were advertising for trainees for our

Identification Trainers for the Future project Well our first 5 trainees have now been

with us for 6 months so we thought it would be a good time to update you on their

progress

The Identification Trainers for the Future project is being run by the Natural History

Museum in partnership with the Field Studies Council and National Biodiversity Network

Trust and is funded by the Heritage Lottery Funds Skills for the Future programme It is

looking at ways of bridging the skills gap in UK biological recording where we are seeing

a loss of taxonomic skills particularly in early career ecologists and for those species

groups often considered lsquodifficultrsquo As part of the project over 3 years we will be taking

in 15 trainees on 12-month long work-

based placements where they will

develop their identification skills for a

range of critical taxa as well as learning

communication and teaching skills so

they can pass their knowledge on to

others

Our first 5 trainees started in March this

year In the last 6 months Anthony

Roach Chloe Rose Katy Potts Mike

Waller amp Sally Hyslop have undertaken a

Map of the speciesrsquo roost records used from the Lake District National Park


wide range of identification training courses

helped us with our citizen science projects such

as Orchid Observers and Microverse delivered

training as part of our Decoding Nature project

run stands at events including Big Nature Day

and the Tring BioBlitz as well as building their

own collections and working on their own

specialist areas They have also completed

placements at FSC centres across the country

and had training in biological recording direct

from the NBN and in using iSpot and iRecord

from the NFBRrsquos Martin Harvey

The identification training has of course been a real highlight with a wide range of

species groups covered at this stage including coleoptera diptera hymenoptera

flowering plants bryophytes and lichens We have also been able to offer additional

places on some of these workshops with individuals from a variety of organisations

attending and hope to make more places available next year In order to re-enforce all

this training we have not just been sat in the Angela Marmont Centre looking at

specimens from the NHMs collections but heading out into the field to learn field ID

collection and preservation techniques Some of this was done during the workshops

themselves but we also ran a 3 day study tour down to the Dorset coast to focus on

various elements of field work

As you can see the trainees have certainly been busy over the last 6 months As I type

this though the trainees are now starting their first day of Phase three of their

traineeship where they spend 3 months working solidly with a single curation team

developing their specialist interest Katy will be joining the Coleoptera section Mike will

be working on Lichens Sally will be staying

with us in the AMC to work on the UK

herbarium Anthony will be recurating the

British Odonata collection and Chloe will be

working with Hymenoptera They certainly

have an intensive few months ahead of them

and a fantastic opportunity to develop their

skills and work with some of the top

specialists in the country

This gives me time therefore to work on

recruiting our next trainees Yes we are

already looking for our next group of

enthusiastic early career ecologists

taxonomists and scientific communicators to

join us from March 2016

Applications for the next round of Identification Trainers traineeships at the Natural History Museum are open from 14 September to 12 October 2015 It may be possible to book a place on a taster session to find out more about the traineeships For more information on the taster sessions or to download application forms see the webpage at wwwnhmacukidtrainers

More detail on how the traineeship programme over the last year can be found on the blog at blognhmacuktagid-trainers-for-the-future-blog


Editorial

This is the 50th NFBR Newsletter As usual we have an excellent selection of articles and

news ndash the world of biological recording is as busy and fast-changing as ever

It was good to see so many NFBR members at our conference back in

April and welcome to the substantial number of new members who

joined us at the conference Feedback indicated that the conference was

a great success thanks to all our excellent speakers and to the many

people who helped organise the conference Paula Lightfoot deserves a

special mention as the driving force behind the conference planning

and NFBR is most grateful to her as well as to the British Ecological

Society for their considerable help and financial support We are

planning to get a conference report circulated before the end of the

year as a record of that event and plans are under way for our 2016

conference

This issue has a focus on the collecting of data on pollinators (pages 8ndash14) which brings

together information on a range of the projects and organisations that are contributing

to the conservation of pollinators and to the governmentrsquos National Pollinator Strategy

Itrsquos not every issue that can announce the birth of a new national recording scheme so

we are pleased to welcome the launch of a scheme devoted to the Calliphoridae a family

of flies that have some intriguing life-histories and are of considerable medical and

forensic importance (page 4) Equally pleasing is an update on progress towards a new

national atlas of mammals the publication of which is keenly awaited (page 15)

NFBR has always worked to represent the interests of recording schemes as an integral

part of biological recording and we are looking at ways of improving our liaison with the

schemes Thanks to members of BSBI we have some good insights into how this might

be done (page 16)

The Tomorrowrsquos Biodiversity project at the Field Studies Centre is running some

workshops to introduce biological recording to new participants and it is good to hear

that the first of these is fully booked already (page 19) ndash this along with news that

records on iRecord and iSpot are into the millions is surely a sign that enthusiasm for

biological recording is at a high And our news pages carry details of new and exciting

projects from NBN and from local environmental records centres so there is no shortage

of activity for people to take part in

Finally we have a report on a successful first year for the Identification Trainers project

at the Natural History Museum with details of how you can apply for the new

traineeships offered for the second year

Thanks to all who have contributed words and images for this issue Our next one is due

in early 2016 so please get in touch if you have news reports articles or photos to

share Contact me or share your views more widely via our email discussion forum our

Twitter feed or on our Facebook page And donrsquot forget to check in to the NFBR website

Martin Harvey July 2014

editornfbrorguk

The deadline for sending in articles for newsletter 51 is

1 December 2015


Contents

Editorial 2













News updates


News snippets 18









































































Calliphoridae key





















































fields







































effectively





























































































































submitting the data

Records which are











a lsquofirstrsquo






























changes is kept








BWARS database






















































































PolliNation







2015
































indexphp



























recorded as





without being

































distribution















stored













sharing agreements









































































































News updates

























in












News snippets






































Topics include











recording



pound40




wwwtombioukcourses



















LERCs







researchersrdquo

















News from LERCs

















BRERC databases














20Resolution_0pdf








1300 hrs AGM

1330 hrs Conference

Dinner

Sunday




Costs













issuetoc




covered






Nick Isaac)



























































progress













others



















































Contents

Editorial 2













News updates


News snippets 18









































































Calliphoridae key





















































fields







































effectively





























































































































submitting the data

Records which are











a lsquofirstrsquo






























changes is kept








BWARS database






















































































PolliNation







2015
































indexphp



























recorded as





without being

































distribution















stored













sharing agreements









































































































News updates

























in












News snippets






































Topics include











recording



pound40




wwwtombioukcourses



















LERCs







researchersrdquo

















News from LERCs

















BRERC databases














20Resolution_0pdf








1300 hrs AGM

1330 hrs Conference

Dinner

Sunday




Costs













issuetoc




covered






Nick Isaac)



























































progress













others



















































































































Calliphoridae key





















































fields







































effectively





























































































































submitting the data

Records which are











a lsquofirstrsquo






























changes is kept








BWARS database






















































































PolliNation







2015
































indexphp



























recorded as





without being

































distribution















stored













sharing agreements









































































































News updates

























in












News snippets






































Topics include











recording



pound40




wwwtombioukcourses



















LERCs







researchersrdquo

















News from LERCs

















BRERC databases














20Resolution_0pdf








1300 hrs AGM

1330 hrs Conference

Dinner

Sunday




Costs













issuetoc




covered






Nick Isaac)



























































progress













others




























































fields







































effectively





























































































































submitting the data

Records which are











a lsquofirstrsquo






























changes is kept








BWARS database






















































































PolliNation







2015
































indexphp



























recorded as





without being

































distribution















stored













sharing agreements









































































































News updates

























in












News snippets






































Topics include











recording



pound40




wwwtombioukcourses



















LERCs







researchersrdquo

















News from LERCs

















BRERC databases














20Resolution_0pdf








1300 hrs AGM

1330 hrs Conference

Dinner

Sunday




Costs













issuetoc




covered






Nick Isaac)



























































progress













others









































































effectively





























































































































submitting the data

Records which are











a lsquofirstrsquo






























changes is kept








BWARS database






















































































PolliNation







2015
































indexphp



























recorded as





without being

































distribution















stored













sharing agreements









































































































News updates

























in












News snippets






































Topics include











recording



pound40




wwwtombioukcourses



















LERCs







researchersrdquo

















News from LERCs

















BRERC databases














20Resolution_0pdf








1300 hrs AGM

1330 hrs Conference

Dinner

Sunday




Costs













issuetoc




covered






Nick Isaac)



























































progress













others

















































































































































submitting the data

Records which are











a lsquofirstrsquo






























changes is kept








BWARS database






















































































PolliNation







2015
































indexphp



























recorded as





without being

































distribution















stored













sharing agreements









































































































News updates

























in












News snippets






































Topics include











recording



pound40




wwwtombioukcourses



















LERCs







researchersrdquo

















News from LERCs

















BRERC databases














20Resolution_0pdf








1300 hrs AGM

1330 hrs Conference

Dinner

Sunday




Costs













issuetoc




covered






Nick Isaac)



























































progress













others
























































a lsquofirstrsquo






























changes is kept








BWARS database






















































































PolliNation







2015
































indexphp



























recorded as





without being

































distribution















stored













sharing agreements









































































































News updates

























in












News snippets






































Topics include











recording



pound40




wwwtombioukcourses



















LERCs







researchersrdquo

















News from LERCs

















BRERC databases














20Resolution_0pdf








1300 hrs AGM

1330 hrs Conference

Dinner

Sunday




Costs













issuetoc




covered






Nick Isaac)



























































progress













others






























































































































PolliNation







2015
































indexphp



























recorded as





without being

































distribution















stored













sharing agreements









































































































News updates

























in












News snippets






































Topics include











recording



pound40




wwwtombioukcourses



















LERCs







researchersrdquo

















News from LERCs

















BRERC databases














20Resolution_0pdf








1300 hrs AGM

1330 hrs Conference

Dinner

Sunday




Costs













issuetoc




covered






Nick Isaac)



























































progress













others












































































recorded as





without being

































distribution















stored













sharing agreements









































































































News updates

























in












News snippets






































Topics include











recording



pound40




wwwtombioukcourses



















LERCs







researchersrdquo

















News from LERCs

















BRERC databases














20Resolution_0pdf








1300 hrs AGM

1330 hrs Conference

Dinner

Sunday




Costs













issuetoc




covered






Nick Isaac)



























































progress













others





























































distribution















stored













sharing agreements









































































































News updates

























in












News snippets






































Topics include











recording



pound40




wwwtombioukcourses



















LERCs







researchersrdquo

















News from LERCs

















BRERC databases














20Resolution_0pdf








1300 hrs AGM

1330 hrs Conference

Dinner

Sunday




Costs













issuetoc




covered






Nick Isaac)



























































progress













others


















































































































































News updates

























in












News snippets






































Topics include











recording



pound40




wwwtombioukcourses



















LERCs







researchersrdquo

















News from LERCs

















BRERC databases














20Resolution_0pdf








1300 hrs AGM

1330 hrs Conference

Dinner

Sunday




Costs













issuetoc




covered






Nick Isaac)



























































progress













others














































































Topics include











recording



pound40




wwwtombioukcourses



















LERCs







researchersrdquo

















News from LERCs

















BRERC databases














20Resolution_0pdf








1300 hrs AGM

1330 hrs Conference

Dinner

Sunday




Costs













issuetoc




covered






Nick Isaac)



























































progress













others




































































LERCs







researchersrdquo

















News from LERCs

















BRERC databases














20Resolution_0pdf








1300 hrs AGM

1330 hrs Conference

Dinner

Sunday




Costs













issuetoc




covered






Nick Isaac)



























































progress













others






























































BRERC databases














20Resolution_0pdf








1300 hrs AGM

1330 hrs Conference

Dinner

Sunday




Costs













issuetoc




covered






Nick Isaac)



























































progress













others


























































issuetoc




covered






Nick Isaac)



























































progress













others















































































progress













others


















































nfbr - home | national forum for biological recording wavy golden hairs on the thorax. not all...

Documents